kagead

Just wanted to clarify one thing with the above, BCBS coverage of nutritionist visits and classes varies by policy, even in the same state. I have a PPO with BCBS in IL, and I had no coverage whatsoever for my nutritionist and for my nutrition classes ($70 completely out of pocket for each visit with her.) Another BCBS customer in one of my classes had 100% coverage for anything related to the nutritionist. kagead

I don't mean this in a snarky way- it is completely sincere: I find the fact that he is willing to perform this kind of surgery on you two weeks from now extremely unsettling. I don't know where you are located, but if at all possible, look into another practice that has a more comprehensive approach. Yes, it can be frustrating to delay this, but honestly, I have read so much on these boards from people who are MISERABLE and downright SCARED post op because they just did not have the information they need to be successful. I started this process in November with a seminar. Since then I have pored over these boards, met one on one with my nutritionist, had 2 group nutrition classes (one more to go), met with a psychologist, met with my PCP to discuss the procedure and had tons of tests to make sure my body can handle this. I probably won't be banded until May at the earliest, but every single day I learn something new from this site and the blogs I follow and I can't imagine where I'd be if I had been banded 14 days after my very first conversation with a Dr. This is a change FOR LIFE. Please do not rush into it. Use the search function here and post any questions you can't find answers to. I think you'll be amazed at how generous everyone can be. Best of luck to you- kagead

Honestly, this is probably the thing I am most worried about (aside from the fear of not being able to eat sushi!) I already drink Water all day long and I drink quite a bit when I eat. I get very thirsty when I eat and go through at least 2 BIG glasses of water with each meal. If I happen to be enjoying a cocktail or a glass of wine, that is in addition to the water, not in place of it. FWIW- I am not diabetic. I know extreme thirst is a warning sign. I can go all day without eating, so no fear about being hungry after I am banded. I don't eat meat, so no fear about never enjoying that again, I don't LOVE to eat, like most people do so that doesn't worry me either. Not drinking before, during and after my meals seriously worries me. kagead

Whatever her reasons/motivations may be, they don't matter. Bottom line is what you said yourself: You have only known this woman for 4 months. Why do you care what she says? Why give her this power? Just remember, living well is the best revenge. You can smile sweetly (and ever so slightly smugly) as you bask in your success. Each size dropped, each NSV and each compliment from anyone within earshot will be that much better knowing you did the right thing for YOU. :frown: Don't let the turkeys get you down. They aren't worth the platters they'll eventually be served on. kagead

I don't detect much of an aftertaste with Muscle Milk, so I'm not much help there. :sad: kagead

Funny, I just picked up a couple cans at Trader Joe's. I drank the chocolate one (don't remember the stats) and it wasn't too bad. Decent taste and not too chalky. I still prefer the light Muscle Milk, but the Pure brand had much more Protein in it. (I don't eat beef or pork as it is, so protein is always an issue for me.) I have the vanilla one here and it is showing 35g of Protien, 2g of Carbs, 160 calories and 1g of fat. They were $$$$ at TJ's- about $2 each IIRC, but that was a single can price so no bulk pack price to compare it to. kagead

Val- I'm not too far from you. I live in Lakeview and work from home. When I'm not on the road for work (which, unfortunately is fairly often,) my schedule is very flexible and I'd be up for grabbing coffee. kagead

I'm in Chicago and hoping to be banded in May. I'd love to communicate with other area bandsters! kagead

Congrats! My b-day is April 25th and I'm hoping to be banded about 10 days after that. What a great way to Celebrate a new year! kagead

My Dr. does not charge a program fee and I am planning on doing this through my insurance co (BCBSIL.) To date, my out of pocket expenses have been: $30 Co-pays for visits with my PCP and the NP that runs the program 20% Co-pay for tests and procedures (Upper GI, EKG, ECG) 100% OOP Nutritionist meeting and nutrition classes (my ins. policy does not cover these at all) 50% Co-pay for psych eval These have been pay as you go- nothing up front. (FWIW, I am self employed with individual coverage, so my costs and percentages are different than those who have employer-based policies. All told about $600 so far spread out over the past 4 months. Good luck to you! kagead

First off, I agree that each person has to make the decision that is right for him or her in each particular situation. I have struggled with my weight my entire adult life, so pretty much anyone who knows me knows the battle I fight. Personally, I NEED the support of friends and family to make this work. The detractors can say whatever they please- I have no issue with that at all. People who talk behind others backs will talk no matter what- the subject is irrelevant. If it weren't my weight, it would be my job, the guys I date, where I live or whatever. Life is too short to worry about the haters. My mom had LB almost 3 years ago so telling the immediate family was no problem at all. I have known most of my best friends since childhood so they were easy to tell and incredibly supportive (they are all thin/healthy weight.) My "newer" friends have been great, too. I am self employed as a manufacturer's rep so I don't have to deal with a boss or coworkers, but I will have to tell the companies I represent that I will be taking some time off. For now, I am telling them I am having hiatial hernia surgery (which I am.) The only part of this I am struggling with a bit is the fact that I have worked in my industry for 18 years and know many, many, many people. Some of them I only see once a year, others I see frequently and some I even travel with. The "once a year" group will be tough. When I see them next I will be 7 months post-op and hopefully, will look somewhat different. I'll have to do some 'splaining there. I am leaning toward the following: I lost some on my own and when I saw that I wouldn't be able to keep it off, I had WLS to help me finish the job." Wishing everyone a smooth road to success, no matter which path you travel! kagead

I haven't had beef or pork in over 20 years, but I am not a vegetarian. I eat very little chicken or turkey and eat tons of fish. That said, I eat like a vegetarian 90% of the time. Make tofu, seitan and Morningstar Farms/Boca products your friends. It is worth the investment to buy a bunch of varieties and figure out which ones you like. They sell them at all major grocery stores including Trader Joe's. It is tough to move away from a mostly carb-based diet, but the suggestions offered here are good ones. There are tons of great vegetarian recipes on allrecipes.com and vegetariantimes.com. Good luck! kagead

Amber, I am also with BCBS and while each individual plan is different, my 3 month supervised diet is "rolled into" the nutrition classes (have to do 3 of those) and one on one meeting(s) with the nutritionist. Perhaps your Dr. does something similar? Hope this helps- kagead

Kind of building on what Amy said, I had a recent slap into reality. The comments may not be as mean spirited or backhanded as you may think. My friends (who are all at a healthy weight) simply do not see me as I see myself. When I told one of them I am pretty close to what Carnie Wilson weighs now (shown in a recent issue of People Mag), she flipped out. In her mind, someone hovering around 220 lbs. looked like Carnie Wilson, NOT like me. In reality, we are about the same. At one of my nutrition classes, one of the ladies said she had lost 65 lbs pre op and hoped to take off another 150 after bypass. Even in MY morbidly obese eyes, that seemed like a CRAZY number. Obviously, she is as far along in the process as I am and that number is probably pretty well thought out, but it still surprised me. Just another perspective to consider! kagead

Small world. Who did your seminar? Dr. Nagle did mine and Dr. Hungness did my mom's lap-band 2 1/2 years ago. I would be happy with either of them as my surgeon. So far everyone has been very nice and the process has run smoothly. The only glitch is that I thought I was supposed to receive a call to schedule a surgical consult after my 1st nutrition class but I have now completed the 2nd and still no word. So, I'll be making some phone calls tomorrow. kagead

Hi Carma, I am in Chicago, too. Not sure where you are going, but at my seminar at Northwestern, they reviewed Lap-Band and Gastric Bypass and went over the benefits and drawbacks of each. It is a very broad informational session and they asked that questions be general in nature, not specific to your individual situation. They gave us an application packet at the end and we had to fax or mail that to the Nurse Practitioner who coordinates the program there. The application asked about general health, past diet attempts and the like. It also instructs you to contact your insurance company to see if they cover the surgery and if so, what their requirements are. Once the application is received, you will set up an appointment with the NP and everything starts rolling from there. Again, each hospital/surgical center is different so don't be alarmed if the place you go has very different procedures than NMH. Just wanted to give you an idea of what I experienced. Good luck to you! kagead

100 lbs is my own goal weight, but the Nurse Practitioner threw out a number that would put my loss at closer to 80 lbs. From what I have seen (I started this process in November of 09,) everything is predicated on a BMI of 40 or between 35 and 39 with at least 2 comorbidities. The number of pounds was not mentioned in the seminar and my insurance company does not reference that either. Like everything else, I am sure this varies widely among surgeons and insurance companies! :thumbup: kagead

What type of diet are you doing? Are you required to attend nutrition classes? Have you had to do any other tests like an Upper GI, EKG, psych evaluation or the like? I guess I am not really doing a diet as of yet, so it hasn't been too bad. :sad: At my initial meeting with the Nurse Practitioner, she told me I could maintain or lose up to my surgery date, but I couldn't gain. The Nutritionist told me the same thing. Like everything else, I am sure each surgeon has their own requirements (which can make things very confusing when reading these boards.) At the 1st nutrition class, they gave us some general meal planning parameters (x amount of veggies, x grams of Fiber, etc.) and told us to keep a food log. At the 2nd class, we reviewed what happened in the month since the 1st class and we moved our focus on to Protein. I have to say I was thrilled that I maintained considering I had been on the road for work for 15 out of the previous 32 days. The 3rd class, which I have in about a month, will focus on the specific pre and post-op diet- ie: liquids, mushies and the like. I was under the impression that I'd be getting a call to set up an appointment with the surgeon after the 2nd class, but I'm still waiting, so maybe I misunderstood. I'll have to make a follow up call on Monday. I'm impatient for this important step! kagead

Hey Mary, I am pre-op, too. Don't have a date yet but hoping for may. I'm going to follow your blog and hope you'll follow mine. It's in my sig. (Edit: Just clicked your link and it is an email addy, not a web address. You might want to double check that and post back with the updated link.) Also, you may want to do a search for "blogs". You'll find some other threads with some great links to others. Good luck to you! kagead

Hi Ms. Rhonda, I am hoping to be banded in May, too. I started this process in November and will be ready to go way before then, but due to work obligations I have to wait. Nice to see someone who is on the same schedule! kagead

I haven't eaten beef or pork in about 23 years, and these are a staple of my diet (I am pre-band.) I think they are very good, but from what I can recall, they don't taste like "meat." They are substantial and have the texture of a meat product, but when I eat them, I don't feel like I am having an actual burger. I like both Morningstar Farms and Boca. Surprisingly, I am not fond of the Trader Joe's brand. I usually love their stuff. In my freezer I have the portabello mushroom flavor MF and the Boca Spicy Chik'n Patties. I put them on a bun (again, I'm pre-band) with all the fixins and it works for me. Guess I just decided what I'm having for lunch. kagead

I hate it, too. I know everyone says find something you enjoy and it won't be so much work and I think they are liars. :thumbdown: For me, I think the key is having a goal (other than general fitness and weight loss) to work toward. I started the Couch to 5k program and have signed up for a 5k on April 24th (the day before my 41st b-day and a couple weeks before I hope to be banded.) My sister and some friends will do it with me. I have never run in my life and really hate every minute of it, but I know the payoff will be great. After that, the next goal will be overcoming my fear of the bathing suit and getting myself into a pool. I used to love the Water but haven't been swimming in at least 20 years. Once I accomplish that, I want to get back on skis. I started skiing when I was about 5 and haven't been since college. Good luck with this- I feel your pain! kagead

LOL! I agree with you completely! I have a terrible sweet tooth and haven't even been banded yet, but Slurpees have never, ever appealed to me. I think the last time I had one I was about 7 years old (which, believe me, wasn't yesterday.) :thumbdown: kagead

A former coworker who had gastric bypass found that an occasional Mountain Dew Slurpee from 7-11 took care of her pop cravings. Maybe a Coke flavored one will work for you? She'd get a small one and almost never finished it. I haven't seen her in a few years, but from what I know she is still maintaining her 185 lb loss. Good luck! kagead

Thanks! I'm in for Orange Sunshine. kagead